"How do I dispose of ritual/spell workings?"

Dear Ones,

I have been like a "house on fire" writing out these posts, much to the displeasure of my niece, but I felt I had to write these out and they seemed to come very easily to me to write, but I do have to be a "good girl" and rest.   After I post this one I'm going to rest for a bit and then next week perhaps do some more, of course it depends on how I'm feeling but with the weather beginning to warm up (slowly I may add) I am feeling better as well.

So here is a question I received several weeks ago~~~~~

Dear Ms. Q,

“I get confused as to what I’m supposed to do with the things that I have when I do a ritual or spell.  Some spells say to bury it in my yard, some say to throw it in water and why am I not supposed to look back,  how am I supposed to get rid of these things to make them work?”

One of the most basic lessons when someone is learning about doing folk magic is that the student is taught to  “do it, walk away and don’t look back”    Now why do they say to not look back? Well it means that if you do look back then you do not have any faith or belief that your magic or spell will work, it undermines your work.   Because all those items or curios that you’ve set is meant to get the magic working, by looking back you will undo all you’ve done because of lack of faith.

I think it goes back to the description of Lot’s wife.  Lot was told by the angels to take his wife and family into the mountains but to not look back while Sodom and Gomorra were being destroyed, Lot and his daughters did not look back even though they must have heard awful sounds, but Lot’s wife in her curiosity did look back and what she saw was so horrible it turned her into a pillar of salt.

One common view about Lot's wife turning to salt was as punishment for disobeying the angels' warning. By looking back at the "evil cities" she betrayed her secret longing for that way of life. She was then deemed unworthy to be saved and thus turned into a pillar of salt.  Another view is that when Lot's wife looked back, she turned to a pillar of salt upon the sight of God who was descending down to rain destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

Think of it this way, how often have you told your children when they did something you told them Not to do, and then they did it anyway?   How often have you said to them “WHAT DID I TELL YOU?!  Now you’re in trouble, for that you’re not going to have dessert tonight (or watch T.V. or play with a video game)!”    Same principal.     (And Lord knows how often I said it to my kids!  Now with kids of their own they understand----LOL!)

Either way it means that she did not have faith for what was going to happen, she had doubts and it back-fired on her.   And taking this Bible tradition and applying it or over the ages transferring it to how folk magic or hoodoo works, makes sense.   And that is because folk magic or Hoodoo is natural magic, it is not “empowered” or “charged with energy” magic that neo-pagans do, it is natural, that is working with things that are natural or have natural substances in them such as herbs, roots, minerals and such used in folk magic because these items have natural energy that the worker or spell caster brings together and focuses.  Therefore that makes it naturally powerful.

When I was trying to describe it to my niece I had my stereo on and it started playing Ravel's "Bolero"  (perhaps one of the sexiest pieces of music I've ever heard) but I told her to listen how each instrument comes in how it all builds up and comes together right to the final note, I said to her "That is how folk magic works in that type of principal"    She understood.   (By the way you can find this piece of music on YouTube----I recommend the version done by the London Symphony Orch. conducted by Valery Gergiev)

Because of this natural power it is also very important in the folk or hoodoo tradition to properly dispose of any items that are left over after a spell has been cast, a mojo  or grie grie bag has been created, a candle has been burned or a trick has been laid or a ritual has been done.

In broad terms the traditional methods for accomplishing or completing the workings generally fall into 10 basic patterns.  They are:

BURIAL IN EARTH IN THE HOME YARD

BURIAL UNDER THE ENEMY'S DOORSTEP OR NEXT TO THEIR WALK WAY

PUTTING IT IN FOOD OR DRINK

PUTTING IT IN CLOTHING, ON OBJECTS,

TOSS OR DISPOSING AT A CROSSROADS

PUTTING IT IN A QUINCUNX PATTERN IN A BUILDING OR AT A CROSSROADS (it depends on the type of spell or working)

BURIAL OR DISPOSAL IN A GRAVEYARD (if you can’t bury it put it in a trash can at a graveyard or cemetery

HIDE IT IN A TREE

TOSSING IT IN RUNNING WATER (river, or fast moving stream, tidal canal, ocean, bay)

BURNING IT IN FIRE

More specifically:

 If you want to keep something close, bury it in your back yard.

    

 If you want to attract something, bury it under your front door step

    

 If you want to destroy its influence, burn it.

    

 If you want it to move away and sink, throw it in running water

    

 If you want to send or scatter it to a distance (i.e. Banish it), throw it into a crossroads (4 way crossroads is best)

   

 If you want to fix its influence, bury it or place it or toss it in a five-spot pattern (look at a dice for the 5 spots which are 4 corners and one spot in the center)

    

 If you want it to work by the aid of spirits, bury it in a graveyard

    

 If you want to hide who originated it, hide it in a tree

    

 If you want it to work in secret, put it in food or drink (make sure it’s not poisonous)

    

 If you want it to work by stealth or unknown means, hide it in clothing or on objects

   

  If you want its influence to begin or strengthen, throw it East

  

  If you want its influence to end or weaken, throw it West

    

 If you want its influence to rise and fall cyclically, float it in a tidal estuary

Now I’ve posted some spell or rituals about some of things one can do, and I have also given antidotes about how some things were done doing the work, so if you read my other posts that will give you an idea.

I will eventually be posting more spells and rituals here that should help guide you.   And I have to admit things are far more complicated than what I’ve described here so on the basic methods to place the workings I’ll cover each one more thoroughly in upcoming posts.  But this should be of help for now.

Bright Blessings,

Ms. Q